Open
by CherryWolf713
Summary: It wasn't heat - she was sure of that. No, this was much more worse than heat had ever been. Heat had a reason, a why, a scapegoat to blame it all on. Feline DNA was a real bitch all right and she knew that her heats were caused by little miss kitty wanting to come out and play. But this? Was it the cat in her recognizing the cat in him? Or was it more than that?


Title : Open

Author : Melissa (a.k.a. CherryWolf713, or, Lyssa)

Summary : My own spin on the Max/Alec Alphabet craze.

Pairing : Max/Alec

Status : Complete

Disclaimer : I don't own 'Dark Angel' nor did I come up with these prompts. Anyone who hasn't been hiding under a rock (or, egads, has been a Logan fan as of late...) should know we all need to bow down to the awesomeness that is nickeldime17 for coming up with these terrific prompts and then allowing all of us lower beings to play and romp with them :)

A/N : Ok, so here is another installment of the alphabet prompts, completely out of order. As with 'K is for Kiss', when I get to 'O', I'll delete this and put it there it goes, in the other story – 'From A to Z and Everything in Between'. I just can NOT get past 'B is for Brick' (damn my inability to concentrate and do things in order…lol)

Also, I just want to put out there that this is an MAX AND ALEC story. While I don't detest Logan, I also do not think that Max belonged with him in the long-run. I will never write a story where Logan gets the girl at end (at least not Max). Apparently I was not direct enough with that in my last post when I put Logan as one of main characters listed – which I only did cause he played a large part in 'K is for Kiss' and I wanted to show off the triangle. I thought the summary clearly showed who was the main man, but I guess not since I still got into a message-war-thingy with someone saying what I wrote was disgusting and wrong (as you can guess, they were a Logan fan) Anywho, I'm all for respecting everyone's opinions, so I expect that respect back. Basically, if ya want Max with Logan, my fics are not for you. Please move on and have a nice day :)

Now, to all the Max and Alec shippers out there : Enjoy! Also, all mistakes and typo's are mine and I tried to catch most of 'em but ya know how it goes – you always find more after you post it…lol

* * *

O is for Open

"...I just don't get it."

The whine tampered off and a hand was ran frustratingly through long, shaggy, slightly-greasy hair as he sighed, the sound put upon.

"Of course ya don't get it," Original Cindy tossed out, pointing a bright orange fingernail in her distraught friend's direction. "You's a man."

Confused eyes blinked and Sketchy opened his mouth, starting to mount his defense. "But-"

"But nothin'."

"What Cindy means," Max suddenly clarified, turning toward Sketch and OC, shutting her locker door, "is that when Louise talked to you about it all, she expected you to end the other relationship with Daisy." And what kind of person named their kid 'Daisy' anyway? Max sniffed her nose up at the name and leaned back against the lockers, sliding her riding gloves on.

"Daisy...classic stripper name," Alec suddenly cheerfully piped up, his shoulder nudging up against Max's as he settled in, ignoring her eye roll and annoyed hair-flip.

Sketchy looked even more confused and OC huffed, crossing her arms as she patiently (for her, anyway) explained, "Ya girl wants a commitment, fool."

"Then why did she agree to keep things open and to see other people?"

"Cause women are crazy and make no sense?" Alec offered helpfully but he was firmly ignored cause it made the situation a lot easier for all those concerned (and less time consuming)

"Maybe that's what she had wanted in the beginning but things have now changed," Max stated, her voice low and thoughtful.

Cindy nodded in agreement with her friend, turning back to Sketchy just in time to miss Alec's casual arm folding and his not-so-casual quick glance at Max from the corner of his eyes, his gaze sizing.

"Look, either man up or let the little chickadee fly. She almost too good for ya, anyway," Cindy offered, her eyes twinkling and her mind clearly settling on just what she and Louise could do _without_ Sketchy in the picture.

"So..." Sketchy pondered out loud, his voice not entirely sure, "I have to dump Daisy and stick to strictly Louise?"

"That all depends; which one is more stacked?" Alec grinned wolfishly before doubling over, clutching his gut and eyeing the brunette beside him.

"Idiot," Max muttered, ringing her hand to lessen the sting; that boy sure did have an impressive six-pack under all clothing. Not that she was thinking about his muscles. Or what his muscles feel like even through his clothes. Or what his muscles look like without all that clothing. Wait...what was the question again?

"I don't get girls," Sketchy sighed finally, sliding his glasses back down over his eyes in agony.

Cindy scoffed. "No shit Sherlock!"

Alec and Max shared a bemused glimpse. _Sherlock_ he mouthed while she just shrugged, a confused expression on her face.

Sketchy hightailed it out of there after that, his face scrunched up in concentration as his herbally-enhanced mind tried to wrap around the new glimpses he had been given into a woman's way of thinking.

OC shook her head sadly. "Mmm-hmm. Original Cindy gonna hafta kick that poor white boys ass if he don't come correct."

"Hey, it's not all his fault." Two sets of eyes rounded on him and Alec paused. "What?"

"The girl said she was thinkin 'bout ending the 'open' part of the relationship."

"Yeah, _thinking,"_ he told Cindy before turning and walking the few feet to his locker. "She never actually said she wanted to."

Both hands landed on OC's cocked hip and she leveled a pretty-scowl in the male transgenic's direction. "But the intent shoulda been enough. Home-boy is way too dense for his own good." The fact that the girl even opened her mouth and said anything 'bout the situation shoulda been his first clue but, as OC knew, men were never that smart or un-douche-like enough to grasp that teeny-tiny concept.

"See, that's what bugs me about chicks," Alec stated, riffling through his locker and ignoring his friend's indignant humph behind him at the term. "Sure, they agree, 'I'm all for an open relationship' but a few weeks later it's all sweet-talk and sugary and they're giving you moon-eyes and they want a commitment and then it's 'what do you mean you have a date with someone else? I thought I was the most important woman in your life' and suddenly you're watching crappy late-might tv and listening to her whine on and on about her day when you coulda been having sex instead."

He was greeted by a long pause of silence then, "Damn boo...you got issues."

"I'm just saying that she shouldn't have told him she wanted an open relationship if she was gonna get all pissy when he actually did it." Alec left with that, shutting his locker before turning to head home for the day.

Dark curls bounced around Cindy's face as she shook her head. "Men..." she muttered, turning to face her friend, who had pretty much been silent through the whole encounter, her eyes unfocused, making OC raise an eyebrow. "Ok, spill."

Coming back to herself, Max started. "Spill what?"

"Whateva is goin' round that pretty little head of yours."

Dark eyes slid away and Max adjusted her hat before tossing out, "I don't know what you going on about. I gotta jet." She walked up the ramp and out of Jam Pony, ignoring the inquisitive eyes on her back.

So she had been spacing a little, it was no big. She had a lot of things on her mind and while she usually got a good laugh from Sketchy's romantic escapades, today's little dilemma hit a little too close to home. She couldn't be blamed for seeing the parallels between Sketchy and herself.

And Alec.

Max groaned at her own stupidity and pushed herself harder as she peddled home. How could she have been this dumb? This out of it? This big, freakin', oh-my-god-you're-an-idiot stupid? How could she have slept with Alec?

Ok, so maybe 'slept' was the wrong word since it was past tense and the 'sleeping' was still going on well into the present term (maybe even as recent as last night, but she wasn't keeping track or anything) and all. But in her defense, she had been lonely and scared and it had been months since one particular man (hell, who was she kidding - _any_ man) had touched her. A girl needed to get scratched every now and then.

Plus Logan and her were on the outs. And no amount of pages or phone calls or him showing up at her job was gonna change the fact that she was a danger to him; she had the damn retro-virus in her blood to prove it. Hell, just breathing on him was a risk! What, she was supposed to just sit back and ignore her raunchy, evil-but-yet-so-good side while eating pasta under candle-light and talking shop? Where's the fun in that?

No where, that's where. That road was filled with haunting doubts and sad looks and loneliness and heartache and she was just sick and tired of walking it.

And she could admit (to herself, anyway) that she had been feeling kinda tingly and tightly-coiled and maybe just a little bit horny but it wasn't like she went to Crash _looking_ for sex or somethin'. Max just happened to be there and Alec just happened to be there that night too and he had won at pool earlier so he had been feeling generous and was buying. After 9 rounds of beer and who-knows-how-many shots they were both feeling loose and somewhat free and yeah, her hand might have stayed a little too long on his bicep after she had swatted him for making some sexist (or was it sexy?) remark about her and then his eyes connected with hers and she had never noticed before how they had little flecks of gold running through the green and how deep they looked when he was leaning froward, toward her...

It was hard to forget the sound of his uneven breathing as he ground down against her hips and she flung all inhibitions away and just _felt_ and let her hands pull his shirt from over his head, flinging it into the dark corner of his apartment, her shirt and pants quickly following suit. By the time the pile consisted of the rest of his clothing too, Alec had her laid out before him on the bed, his lips trailing further and further down her body, teeth nipping and tongue lavishing parts of her that she had felt would never be touched again by a man just mere hours ago. And when he was back over top of her, his chest pressed down against hers and those intense, deep eyes locked back on her face, Max couldn't help the little in-take of breath when he finally surged forward and everything - for that one brief, still moment - felt right and perfect and amazing.

It wasn't rushed or frenzied but there had been an intensity, a urgency to reach that higher feeling, that big release. All their bickering and fighting and snarking combined into one huge ball of UST that had them clawing at each others back and meeting the others thrusts with one of their own. And when Alec's head lowered down into her neck and his teeth latched onto her shoulder, not breaking the skin but leaving one hell of a bruise, Max couldn't stop the gasp of his name as she finally tumbled down that cliff she been standing at ever since he had first walked into her cell back at Manticore.

When it was all said and done and they were both lying there, chest's heaving and guilty eyes staring up at the cracked, peeling ceiling, all Max could think was damn, who knew Hot Boy could move like that? It would take almost twenty minutes before she was able to actually get outta the bed (again, damn...) And a good hour or three before she actually made it back to her own apartment (it wasn't her fault that Alec happened to spy her bending down to grab her underwear from under the bed and his eyes got that look again that made her bite her lip and clench her thighs together in anticipation)

Oddly enough though, the guilt that she had somewhat kinda felt at first? Yeah, it didn't really kick in till a few days later.

Max tried to avoid him. She took extra runs at work. She ate her lunches on the go and made sure all her runs lasted well past quitting time. Crash was forgotten for nights in with a book or the television or just her annoyingly OCD memory that kept playing back scenes of breathless moans and large hands and hard bodies sliding, slick and wet...and then those nights were promptly forgotten for cold showers and mindless pushups and jumping-jacks. But no matter what she did or how long she hid, Alec kept popping back up in her view or in her space or even just in her mind (damn that photographic memory...)

It wasn't heat - she was sure of that. No, this was much more worse than heat had ever been. Heat had a reason, a why, a scapegoat to blame it all on. Feline DNA was a real bitch all right and she knew that her heats were caused by little miss kitty wanting to come out and play. But this? Was it the cat in her recognizing the cat in him? Or was it more than that? Sexual tension and frustrations and aggressions and plain ole' attraction? Cause, lets be honest, even Cindy - who was as lesbian as they come - acknowledged that Manticore sure knew how to make 'em pretty.

No matter what the reason was, the conclusion was the same : Max couldn't forget. And Alec, well, neither could he.

He finally tracked her down at her place one night, just barging in the door and stomping right over to her, his hair mused and eyes wild. She barely had time to open her mouth, to start to demand just what the hell he was thinking, storming into her apartment like that, when those large hands that she hadn't been able to get out of her mind enclosed around her neck and back respectively, dragging her startled body up against his.

"Where the hell have you been?" Then, without giving her a chance to even think up a response, Alec's mouth was over hers, hot and silky and delicious and Max easily fell into the kiss, wondering why she had avoided something this wonderful and intoxicating. It was explosive and heated and when it all was said and done, Max was breathless as she laid beside his naked body once more.

It was addictive; _he_ was addictive and Max found herself looking forward to their evening trips to Crash, knowing they would end up back at Alec's place, her cries loud and full of pleasure as she straddled his hips. Or the few times they found themselves more-than-a-little turned on at work and snuck off to the storage room upstairs or the supply closet or even once the bathroom just so they could work out some of those frustrations.

It was just sex, plain and simple.

At least it had been.

But now...

Now, she noticed when he smiled. She looked forward to the days when they had the same route so they could ride beside each other all day, bull-shitting and laughing. When they both choose to ignore the lures of beer and dancing at Crash to just hang out on the couch over at Joshua's and watch a movie with their big friend she couldn't keep a small smile off of her face. When he's moody or closed off she feels the loss and finds herself trying something, anything, to draw him out of his shell.

It was getting real. Too real and too fast and Max could feel her baser instinct to run snipping at her heels as she arrived home that day, her brain going over and over the differences and not-so-differences of her and Sketchy's predicament. True, Sketchy was the one wanting to keep up the whole seeing-other-people angle and Max was the one not wanting that anymore (at least she thinks she might not what that anymore...maybe...) But it's not like she _was_ seeing other people to begin with. Logan had petty much faded into the background over the last few weeks, what with her ignoring his pages and all that, and it wasn't like she had anyone else in her life romantically besides him.

But Alec, he had options. Oh, yeah, he had _plenty_ of options. Blonde ones and brunette ones and red-haired ones and big-breasted bimbos who clung to his arm almost everywhere he went. If it wasn't little Suki at work it was Marina at the bar (even though both girls had already duked it out once for the transgenics' attention only to finally turn on him in the end) and both skanks were really starting to grate on Max's last nerve. How many times did Max have to wander up and gently (and screw what Alec said, she did not _growl_ at them) remind them that throwing themselves at a man was trampy, not to mention just sad.

Just the thought of those hoes had Max stomping through her apartment, snatching up something form-fitting and clingy to wear to the bar tonight. She ended up leaving her hair down, having noticed how Alec seemed to like running his fingers threw it as they laid in his bed together, letting it curl naturally instead of ironing it straight and wore her favorite jeans, the ones that were broken in just right in all the perfect places.

Crash was packed, the dance floor already full of swaying and grinding bodies and Max was busy looking for her friends when she felt someone move up at her shoulder. She smiled, turning around to toss out a greeting when she paused, her grin losing some of its enthusiasm.

"Logan...hey..." Maybe it was the crowd, dimming her sense or something, but she hadn't been expecting the cyber-journalist / hacker / all-around do-gooder to be the person she was turning around to.

If he noticed the stiffness in her smile, the lackluster tone in her voice, he never let on, just instead smiling back charmingly, his baby blue eyes intent on her face. Once upon a time, that smile had entranced her, made her feel special and warm and loved but now, she found herself dimly wishing it was a devilish smirk; it made her yearn for hazel eyes and freckles and all that came with 'em.

"Max. It's been a long time."

"Oh, yeah; couple of days, I guess..."

Logan paused there, his smile wilting some and he amended, gently, "3 and a half weeks, actually."

"...Huh." Had it only been about a month now since she started...whatever-it-is...with Alec? It had seemed like they had been spending most of their nights together for much longer than that. Granted, before her whole so-good-yet-so-so-wrong escapades they had spent some time going on heists together. And of course there was work and Crash and Joshua that also seemed to throw them together.

"Feels like a lot longer, doesn't?"

"...Yeah..." Max trailed off, her mind still fixated on her and Alec's new kinkified-friendship when she suddenly snapped back to, noticing the soft look in her semi-ex's eyes and how much longing there had been in his voice and suddenly this was not good on a whole new level.

"Listen, I was wondering if we could talk..."

Max fixed a superficial grin on her face and said, her voice strained, "we are talking."

"Yes, we are," Logan admitted, his face falling somewhat. "But I was going to suggest somewhere more private."

"More private?" Max repeated, her insides starting to churn slightly at those implications.

"Yes. Like my place."

"Your place?" she repeated once more and Max was starting to get the feeling that Logan was getting slightly miffed at her avoidance tactic but was brimming with too much tact to actually own up to it. Sighing deeply, she opened her mouth, knowing this conversation was about to get much harder and sheepishly started, "listen, Logan, going back to your place-"

"Hey Max...Logan."

Max froze instantly, those fight or flight instincts from earlier biting her in the ass once more as this convo made a much _much_ not-needed turn for the worse. "Alec."

The X5 came to stand at her shoulder, his arm brushing up against her own and Max swallowed down all of her feelings cause now was so not the time, and it was kinda hard not to notice the hardness in his eyes, the slight steel underlining his voice. "Who's going back to your place?" he questioned the older man.

But damn, Logan, for an ordinary, the man sure knew how to run with the best of 'em and his own voice frosted as he replied, his eyes trained right back on Alec. "I have something I need to discuss with Max..." And even though he hadn't spoken the word, everyone acknowledged that _alone_ was tacked onto the end of his sentence.

Everyone except Alec that is.

Or maybe he had sensed it and that was the problem.

"Really?" The interest that colored his voice was fake and Max had to resist rolling her eyes at his obvious ploy. "Cause, ya know, if it's something about transgenics I should know about it, considering that I'm one too. Just like Max."

"It's not about transgenics."

"Eyes Only mission? Cause I've been kinda bored lately; I could use some good ole' rough-and-tumble action."

Bored? _Bored?_ Max shot her eyes up at the taller male, her gaze squinted in anger and maybe something else that she didn't really wanna look at too closely. Alec refused to meet her gaze (or, more accurately, he refused to look away from Logan. Keep your eyes on the enemy or something along those lines and all that) and when Max finally gave and looked away, her face setting in a scowl, she knew, just _knew,_ that Logan thought she was annoyed with the other X5 for butting in where he wasn't supposedly allowed.

"Actually, it's private." Logan gave Alec a totally fake and totally not-so-nice smile. "So if you don't mind..."

"Oh, I don't mind at all." And then he just stood there. Not moving an inch. His eyes still boring into Logan.

Yeah...much, much, _much_ harder conversation now...

Max shot Alec a look that clearly said _you're not helping_ but she was, unsurprisingly, ignored and banned from the staring contest carrying on right beside her. Which, really just totally ticked her off. Who were they to just ignore her and act like she wasn't there? Sure, she was sleeping with Alec and had, at one point, at least wanted to be sleeping with Logan but that still didn't give them any right to pretty much talk about her (she knew how to read between the lines) while she was standing right there!

"Well, that's fine and all, but I'm sure Max minds. Even if you don't."

"Really. Huh. Max, do you mind?"

Both men turned their eyes to Max and she suddenly found herself wishing for the earlier silent treatment again. "Uh...well...this is nice and all," (so not) "us three catching up...and all. But I have Cindy waiting for me so I'm just gonna...go," she added at last, pointing over her shoulder for extra effect. "...yeah..."

And then ran.

Ran for all she was worth.

Cindy eyed her raced entrance. "What's got you gunning for the hills?"

"What? Nothing," Max insisted, taking the open seat beside her best friend. "I was just anxious to get over here, is all."

"Mmm-hmm," Original Cindy moaned, not believing her one bit.

Max let it slide, hoping a subject change would take that knowing look from OC's eyes. "Where's Sketchy at?"

Diversion successful and OC sighed, sitting back in her seat some. "Spending some quality time with Louise," she supplied, her tone hinting that she was more than slightly into Sketch's new catch.

Max spared a small smile at OC's jealousy but turned thoughtful once more, her inner turmoil coming about face once again. "So he chose the commitment?"

"Damn straight. He woulda been even more of a fool not too." Tonight just wasn't her night or maybe she was just too wrapped up in her own thoughts to notice when her friend eyed her hesitantly for brief moment. But, for whatever reason, it completely shocked Max when Cindy suddenly spoke up, claiming, "and so is ya boy."

"What?" she finally asked, flabbergasted.

Max may have been the one among them with all that transgenic strength and speed and muscle but Cindy, she had learned from best and it wasn't much of a surprise when her attitude suddenly reared up, her face hardening. "Original Cindy ain't blind. Nor deaf. I know about you and Hot Boy."

Max instantly opened her mouth and OC shook her head. "Uh-uh. And don't even start with the lies or I'ma lay one helluva smack down on ya ass. Now, what I wanna know is why the hell you got ya self messed up with that damn boy; you know he a tom-cat, running all over this town."

The scowl instantly reappeared on Max's face and she crossed her arms, too stubborn to answer her friend either way.

Cindy sighed after a few beats, her voice softening. "Max..." But something caught her eye and she sighed once more, shaking her head slightly. "I guess we can continue this later," she finally settled with and stood up, walking away from the table.

"Peachy. Sounds like fun," Max muttered, snatching up her friends discarded mug and taking a long swig. The glass was still snug against her lips when she felt him coming her way and she slowly let it fall away, her anger not taming down much.

"Max."

"Alec."

He made himself comfortable in Original Cindy's vacated spot, all the while keeping his eyes trained on her face while Max looked anywhere _but_ at him.

"So, Logan, huh?" His voice was clipped and controlled, just like his face was and Max was suddenly hit with the urge to reach out, to run her hand along his wrist but she quickly shut down the emotion, biting the inside of her mouth in aggravation.

"That is his name." She wasn't being childish she told herself, just angry. And, really, she had every right to be. Here she was, pining away or something for this guy who was nothing more than some dog who chased after every skirt he saw. Or, strike that, some _cat_ who chased every skirt that he saw - same difference. Case in point : she knew for a fact that Marina was up at the bar right now, her eyes gazing over them every few seconds and Alec, well, he was reeking of the bimbo's stank-ass perfume. No doubt the little slut had been all over him before Max had shown up.

"He didn't seem very interested in sharing his news with me."

"Well, I can't help you out there," Max confessed, her tone syrupy sweet. "He didn't share it with me either. Never made it back to his place."

Well, well, well, that shook his little facade didn't it? Max's smile turned more cynical and something deep down inside of her balked at the idea but she found herself opening her mouth anyway, tossing out, "Might catch up with him later, though. I'll be sure to fill you in on all the juicy details."

Alec's gave a laugh, the sound not at all pleasant and shook his head, licking his lips as he stared off into space for a moment. "You really are a grade-A bitch, you know that."

Then he was gone and Max stared at the empty spot where his eyes had been, the coldness radiating off of them eating away at her.

It was late and the ride she had taken after leaving Crash hadn't helped settle her nerves very much. She had been half-tempted to spend the night on top of the Space Needle but her body was a weary as her mind was and sleep was all that she was really interested in. She finally drug herself back to the apartment, not shocked to find OC in the kitchen area, clad in her robe and holding a hot cup of tea.

"Hey."

"Hey," Max said, walking her ninja in the rest of the way and pocketing the keys in her coat. "You're up late."

"True, but I'm dropping off now."

Max nodded, getting the distinct feeling that she had been up waiting for her to return home. But if she had been Cindy didn't say, just smiled softly in her friends direction and went toward her room, letting the curtain fall shut behind her. Max stood there a moment, fingering her keys in her pocket before sighing and turning around, heading for her own bedroom. It wasn't until she breathed back in through her nose that she froze, her eyes snapping up to zero in on the figure sitting still on the edge of her bed.

"Don't worry," he said, looking up to catch her shocked gaze. "Cindy knows I'm here. We had a..." he paused to find the right word, his lips quirking slightly, _"interesting_ conversation."

That slight smirk tugged at her emotions but Max kept a straight face, moving the rest of the way into her bedroom after a momentary pause. "What are you doing here?"

He shrugged, his voice blase. "Came by to see if you were still a ragging bitch."

No reaction showed on her face but Max felt her ire rise at the comment. "Oh, don't worry; I don't plan to disappoint."

"You know," Alec finally bit out, his patience wearing thin. "I really don't get you."

"What's there to get? Us woman are all crazy and make no sense," Max told him, tossing back his words from earlier in the day.

"Are you shitting me?" he suddenly exploded, standing up. "That's what this is about, why you're acting like such a head-case? That stupid comment I made to Sketchy?!"

"This has nothing to do with Sketchy!"

No, it had everything to do with his comments to her and OC after Sketchy left. He wasn't ready for the commitment, he didn't want to hear all about her day or be all sugary-sweet toward her. And Max had suddenly found herself in too deep to want anything else but that.

"Then what is it? Why the hell did you run earlier-"

"I didn't run," Max bit off, coming to stand face-to-face with him. "I made a tactical retreat cause you were being an ass!"

"Military term or not, sweetheart, it's still running."

"Screw you."

"Eh, no thinks," Alec tossed out, his rage suddenly bottled up like it had never been there. "I prefer woman who don't act disgusted around me."

"Aw, you're turning celibate then?"

Both knew how to play the game. How to fake the calmness, fake the smiles; how to fake everything. It was all smoke and mirrors in the end and all that was left was anger and something that felt an awful lot like heartache.

"Just-..." Max's voice suddenly shook and she looked away, her head and heart suddenly not in the game. "Just go away."

She couldn't do it anymore. She had been down this road once already and truthfully, she wasn't ready to revisit all her old haunts, her insecurities, the aching feelings when it all, inevitably, blew up in her face. In all honesty, she didn't know if she would ever be truly ready. She had thought, ya know, maybe...but...but maybe was all she had ended up having.

Max was still looking away, missing the way Alec had suddenly froze, his eyes blinking in something akin to confusion and something else unidentifiable.

"Well," he said blandly, his face slack, "I guess that's my cue."

Then he was gone and Max found herself alone once more.

Cindy found her in the bathroom, her head resting on her knees, tears that she refused to let fall glistening in the corners of her eyes. She didn't say anything, she didn't have to, just sat down beside her best friend and wrapped an arm around her shoulder, rocking back and forth gently as those traitorous tears finally made their escape down Max's cheeks.

There wasn't any trace of her tears the next day, but anyone who really knew the stubborn X5 recognized that something was off, that something just seemed not right. OC kept her distance, watching from the bench beside her locker as Max slipped on her gloves, the dark skinned girl more than a little worried. Alec had been right when he commented that they had had an interesting conversation and, even after last nights' events, what she had told him still stood true - she just wanted her friend to be happy.

"Hey guys," Sketchy greeted, coming around the corner, his eyes bright. But when Cindy just managed a small smile and Max all but ignored him, he frowned in confusion. "What's up?"

"Nothing boo," Original Cindy told him, her voice low. Sketchy frowned even more and OC sent a heavy glance in Max's direction, herding the boy from making any more comments. Luck must have been on their side (or maybe he just hadn't had his morning smoke yet) cause Sketchy seemed to get the hint and dropped it, whatever _it_ was cause he didn't have a clue, and turned to look back out toward the main room.

"Oh, hey, Alec."

Max's whole form instantly froze and Cindy started, turning to look toward where Sketchy was, seeing that yup, that was indeed Alec coming down the ramp and yeah, he didn't look very happy.

"Maybe we should..." OC trailed off as the intense transgenic got closer and she finally just grabbed Sketch by the collar, dragging the confused messenger off.

But Max, she wasn't as calm or collected or as comatose as she had seemed. All of her senses were tingling, fire crackling through her veins, and she knew the instant he was upon her. She could smell his anger and nervousness and fear, the combination making her turn just in time for Alec to snatch her up, his lips landing forcefully on hers. Any and all other thoughts screeched to a halt as she found herself melting under his kiss, her hands slowly coming up to rest on his chest, in an attempt to push him away or draw him closer, she wasn't sure.

But it was all over in an instant, her mind sluggish and slow and still not sure whether she wanted to haul him back to her lips or slug him in the gut (though right now both options appealed to her) He was breathless and more than a little aggravated and Max could still smell the fear radiating off of him but something new lingered underneath, something she was more than used to, something she had smelled countless times before after they were finish tearing each others clothes off, their bodies colliding on a bed or a couch or whatever stable object they happened to find nearby.

There was something in his eyes that she had never seen before and when he opened his mouth, his words were rushed and low, only meant for her. "I want the sweet-talk and moon-eyes. I want the conversation and the commitment and even the crappy late-night TV. I don't want this to be an open relationship anymore...I just want you."

The ceiling was still cracked and peeling and yeah, their chests were heaving up and down cause that's what hours of mind-blowing sex will do to ya, even if you are a transgenic with extra stamina built in. But their gazes weren't guilty as they laid there, their bodies wrapped around one another contentedly.

It would never be boring or calm or perfect but Max was ok with that. They would still have problems (Logan, Suki, Marina...) but they would handle them (and yes, Max promised not to handle her problems by ringing both girls' necks but whatever...) together, like a real couple. They didn't need it to be perfect.

All they needed was each other.

* * *

A/N 2 : Hope everyone enjoyed! Please drop and review and let me know what you thought :)


End file.
